Phenol is an important chemical parent substance with a broad usage spectrum. For example, phenol is used to produce phenol resins, bisphenol A, caprolactam, adipic acid, alkyl phenols, and plasticizers.
In general, phenol is manufactured by oxidizing cumene to form the hydroperoxide of cumene, followed by cleavage of the cumene hydroperoxide with an inorganic acid such as sulfuric acid to form a cumene hydroperoxide cleavage product. The cumene hydroperoxide cleavage product generally contains species such as phenol, acetone, α-methyl styrene (AMS), cumene, cumyl phenol (CP), dimethylbenzyl alcohol (DMBA), acetophenone (AP), AMS dimers (AMSd), tars and heavies, and inorganic acid such as sulfuric acid. Acetone, acetophenone, and phenol are the primary products in this group. Equimolar amounts of acetone and phenol generally are produced by this method.
Although acetone has a variety of uses, acetone generally is not in as high demand as phenol. MEK is a technically important ketone which is used, for example, as a lacquer and as a resin solvent. MEK is a high value ketone which can be produced if s-butylbenzene is used in the production of phenol (rather than cumene). The methods described to date for producing MEK as a co-product in the production of phenol have not proven to be commercially viable.
Commercially viable methods are needed for producing controllable yields of phenol and MEK (and, if desired, acetone) during the manufacture of phenol, particularly methods which are controllable to increase or decrease MEK yield, depending upon market demand.